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April was a good month! Ranunculus started blooming, we were able to get outside more, a few of us were able to volunteer with Food4Kids Niagara (thank you!), and Harper and I met Bluey! I am not ready for April to end yet. May has a LOT lined up in our house, and I need some more time to prepare for the busyness of it all!
A recap of what I did in April:
What I Read:
Crystal Hefner: Only Say Good Things I have such mixed feelings about this book. While I was reading it, I found myself getting annoyed with Crystal because she was always getting herself into bad situations, and then blaming everyone but herself for it. But at the same time, I think she is being brave and speaking out against a giant enterprise that is still a part of. The details she gave of Hugh Hefner reminded me a lot of R. Kelly, and Jeffrey Epstein... and a common thread seems to be that these high profile men were with multiple young women in the public eye, and no one seemed to question it. They're all gross. I watched a documentary on Hugh Hefner a while ago called American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story (Amazon Prime) that made him appear like a visionary who wanted to change the world in his own way (the synopsis calls this "his impact on global culture"). This might have been true, but he was also creepy, entitled, and the definition of both a womanizer, and a narcissist. I felt like such a prude reading some of the details in this book, and my entire face is scrunched up thinking of them now. I’m glad this book finishes with the ending that it does- Crystal needed to find her voice again.
Jennifer E Smith: The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight Do you remember last month when I wached "Love At First Sight" on Netflix and then learned after I loved it so much that it was a book adaptation? I was able to get my hands on it at the library! Netflix changed some of the parts to make the story a little happier, but (as usual) the book has so much more backstory on the characters. Learn from me, and read before you watch! Both versions are really good!
Lauren Graham: Talking As Fast As I Can I'm late to the game on this one (it was published in 2017), but I needed something to read on my Kobo, and this fit the bill! My FAVOURITE show ever is Parenthood, and I loved that she referenced that as well as Gilmore Girls. I didn't understand why Gilmore Girls ended, and how the limited series on Netflix came to be, and I liked how all of these questions were answered along with behind the scenes details and fun facts. side note: if you know how I can watch Parenthood again (for like the 5th time) without spending a bajillion dollars to rent it on AppleTV, or if you happen to know someone who works at Netflix and can ask them to put it back on there for me, please let me know!
Abby Jimenez: Just For The Summer I loved this book SO MUCH!!!! I kept staying up later to read it, and looked forward to any time that I had during the day that I could sneak in a few more pages. The characters were complex, and the plot twist near the end threw me for a loop- I honestly didn't know how this was going to end. And of course, after I finished it, I realized that there was another book written before this one called Part of Your World with a lot of (but not all!) characters overlapping. I just started reading Part of Your World, and I can confirm that it really doesn't matter what order you read the books in!
Rebel Wilson: Rebel Rising At first, I found this one a little hard to get through, but about 100 pages in, I started to really like it! Did you know that Rebel has a law degree and that she's even used it to help her fight for herself in Hollywood? Me either! By the end of the book, I found myself being so proud of her, and I can't wait to see what she does next for herself!
What I Watched:
The Circle (Netflix) CIRCLE MESSAGE!!!! My absolute favourite reality show is back, and I am SO excited!! haha Matt can't stand when I watch this one, but that's why it's important to have alone time to do (or watch) the things that you want to! If you haven't watched this before, Enews describes it as "Eight players at a time live in the same building but never come face-to-face, only interacting through a social media messaging app created for the show. They can choose to be their authentic selves, using real photos and details, or they can decide to be someone else." There is also alliances, game play, and curveballs thrown to make the game play harder and the show more fun to watch. They have to say everything that they are thinking, read every message that they get out loud, and can only "type" back by saying out loud what they want to respond with. The reason my husband hates it so much, is because they say things like "heart eye emoji" "hashtag circle sisters" "ALERT!" (every time an alert is on the screen. But I can't tell you how much I LOVE this show!!! Every season, I'm not sure about the contestants in the first episode or two, and by the end of the season I love everyone so much. Current season faves: Lauren(!!!), Quori-Tyler (she's a book lover too! @bookswithqt), Kyle, and Brandon (Olivia).
Jury Duty (Amazon Prime) If you need something to watch while you wait for more Circle episodes to air, this show is pure ridiculous entertainment that made us laugh out loud so many times. Essentially, this follows a group of jurors through a trial, but they are all actors except one of them who has no idea that everyone else involved is an actor, and that the trial is fake. It's so funny, and the last episode when he finds out and they explain everything to him is SO heartwarming. Please watch this!
Anatomy of a Scandal (Netflix) Trigger warning: rape content. This limited series aired in 2022, but I must have missed it. I was intrigued from the first episode, and there were so many twists and turns throughout the series. Of course, like most great film content, this is based on a book by the same name if you want to read it first. Add it to the list!
Scoop (Netflix) Trigger warning: child abuse. This movie follows how the women of BBC's Newsnight secured, prepared, and executed the interview Prince Andrew had with them to speak about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. The scene after the interview where they show his team's satisfaction in contrast to the Newsnight crew's shocked facial expressions knowing that Prince Andrew just made things worse for himself was so well done. This movie wasn't a tell-all or keeping me on the edge of my seat, but I really liked it!
What I Purchased:
I have been trying to find new casual shoes for soooo long, and either everything I found didn't suit me, or they were $150 a pair, and I couldn't justify the purchase. I found TWO pairs that I love on the same day at Winners! One is a vintage looking pair of Reeboks that are off-white, and the other is a pair of Blowfish that are pink(!)... and together they both cost less than one pair anywhere else. I felt like I stole them.
I have three emails signed up for The Jilly Box, and only got a code with one of them for the Summer box! I was so excited to get a code, because this one looks GOOD! I'll report back!
In the winter, I bought Marlo a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe on marketplace for $25. It is a little sun faded, and needs some love, but that was ok with us! I wanted to update the eyes and the license plate on the back (and to make it hers), and asked a local small shop Grove and Co if she would be able to help me out with making me stickers! This girl is a magician, and they instantly transformed the car!!
We are going on a family trip in a few weeks, and I got Marlo her own set of headphones. They match the blue/purple ones that we got for Harper almost three years ago, but hers are pink/purple and her face lit up when I showed them to her. We love them because they are soft on the ears, and they fold up too, so they're great for travel!
*note that the headphones are linked with an affiliate link. I earn a small commission if you purchase these through this link : )
What I Did For Myself:
In order to read all of the books that I read this month, I had to carve out time to read them. I find that I can sneak in some extra pages if I read instead of picking up my phone. I also try to read right after the girls go to bed, and I always read right before I fall asleep at night to wind down. It also helps to keep one with you if you find yourself waiting in your car/ have appointments/ kid's sports practices.... these are all perfect places to read a few more pages! They all add up!
I had a lot more social time in April which felt SO good. I've been making time for coffee walks, a lunch with friends, play dates in the morning, celebrating birthdays... it's been fun!
Dance classes continued this month, and I can't tell you how good it feels to go to them. I won't be able to do them next month, so I am thankful that I have been able to be a part of them for the last two months!
I find this monthly recap holds me accountable to do more for myself in addition to what I already do for/with my kids. I hope you enjoy reading them, and I encourage you to make a note for yourself every month of what you read, watch, purchase, and do for yourself too!
As always, feel free to comment below or message me on Instagram ( @grey.nextdoor ) if you have watched/read the same things as me and want to share your thoughts or suggest something else for me to add to my reading list!